He filed a second lawsuit against the Arizona Board of Regents — the body that oversees the state’s public universities — saying ASU’s real estate deal with the Omni Hotel is an illegal use of tax-free land.

ASU rents out its land to private developers, who then benefit from the school’s tax-exempt status.

ASU President Michael Crow said this surprise suit is unfounded and even, he said, strange. At a Greater Phoenix Chamber Event held Friday, NAU and University of Arizona presidents both backed ASU, saying on-campus hotel deals aren’t a bad idea.